We are back home again ... the rally in Columbus was really great with twelve rigs in attendance. Thursday night we cooked our favorite meat on the grill and shared whatever each couple brought to the meal -- no one goes hungry at a rally! On Friday we enjoyed a green eggs and ham breakfast prepared by our gracious hosts, spent the rest of the day on our own then got together for a social hour that afternoon. Several former members who are not RVing any longer but live within easy driving distance, stopped by to socialize and join us for dinner that night at Nancy's Seafood Grill. It was great to see Frank Parma, Chick and Arlene Richardson and Glenn and Murial Ostberg. We all missed Laura Parma who now resides in an Alzhiemer's facility. Gene picked up some kind of stomach thingy so he slept a lot during the weekend; but, it gave him an excuse to watch wall-to-wall basketball. Saturday night our hosts outdid themselves with corned beef and cabbage to go with all of the green salads and desserts brought by the rest of us. The meal was topped by a "Last Man Standing" contest about St Patrick's Day facts. Lots of misconceptions about the guy, I can tell you! After Caring and Sharing on Sunday morning we headed for home.
Next month we head for Port Aransas on the Gulf and it is the weekend of the Texas Sand Fest where folks come from all over the world to build fabulous sandscapes. We will take some pics and I have till then to figure out how to get them in this blog.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
KLS-S Rally - Columbus, TX
This is our first rally since Maxie passed and our first one in 2012 ... not certain how Beckett will react. He has been so attentive since she went to live in doggie heaven ... you sometimes think he is picking up the slack of her absence; but, that's probably in my imagination. We leave in the morning!
Columbus is only about an hour and a half west of Houston, off the I-10 interstate. It is not a large town ... the campground, Columbus RV Park, is close in and, according to their web site, has a rustic, but urban setting. The theme is Saint Patrick's Day, which has always proven to be a fun time. Some of our former members, who have since stopped RV'ing, plan to attend and join us for dinner on Friday night. It will be great to renew those old friendships.
More when we get there!
Columbus is only about an hour and a half west of Houston, off the I-10 interstate. It is not a large town ... the campground, Columbus RV Park, is close in and, according to their web site, has a rustic, but urban setting. The theme is Saint Patrick's Day, which has always proven to be a fun time. Some of our former members, who have since stopped RV'ing, plan to attend and join us for dinner on Friday night. It will be great to renew those old friendships.
More when we get there!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Just a Little Dog
Maxine von Schmidt, Maxi, , a little doxie,came into our lives on October 30th, 2001 in Laguna Hills, California. On our first meeting this little black and tan 13 pounder of five years jumped into Gene's lap and was not about to leave it or give it up. His heart melted and she was on her way to Texas. Just getting there proved to be an adventure. Taking off from John Wayne Airport, we lost one of our two engines necessitating a "precautionary" landing at LAX. Hours later we were airborne again and heading for Dallas. Being really late in the evening, the American Airlines terminal was closed; but, they put us up in a nearby hotel without our baggage (her food and leash were in it). God love her ... she had gone all day without a potty break! Gene's belt served as a leash and room service provided the food (Donna had never had room service although we shared the bun and fries while Maxie ate the hot dog). The next day, after several false starts, we flew to Hobby Airport and her home for the next ten years.
What a love she has been! She took to our trips in the motor home like a champ ... start the engine and she is in her chair and ready to GO. In December of 2005 we adopted Beckett, the Love Bug, a 15 pound red doxie, and survivor of Hurricane Katrine. They both bonded well and he quickly adapted to our lifestyle. Actually, they were like two peas in a pod; but, in reality she had him completely buffeloed .... I mean one glance from her and he backed off. He too travelled well.
Last May we noted she was having problems ... slower gait ... sight was failing ... sleeping a lot ... the diagnoses was conjestive heart failure. With the help of meds and extra care she appeared to be getting through the days. However,on the 13th of January she developed a cough that would not be calmed with medicine. As Gene picked her up to take her outside, she collapsed in the grass. An hour later while curled up in Gene's arms she breathed her last and with a sigh passed out of our lives but not out of our hearts. Her cremated remains rest on our mantle in a lovely rose box as a gentle reminder of her presence and love.
We recently read the little commentary repeated below that sums it all up ...
What a love she has been! She took to our trips in the motor home like a champ ... start the engine and she is in her chair and ready to GO. In December of 2005 we adopted Beckett, the Love Bug, a 15 pound red doxie, and survivor of Hurricane Katrine. They both bonded well and he quickly adapted to our lifestyle. Actually, they were like two peas in a pod; but, in reality she had him completely buffeloed .... I mean one glance from her and he backed off. He too travelled well.
Last May we noted she was having problems ... slower gait ... sight was failing ... sleeping a lot ... the diagnoses was conjestive heart failure. With the help of meds and extra care she appeared to be getting through the days. However,on the 13th of January she developed a cough that would not be calmed with medicine. As Gene picked her up to take her outside, she collapsed in the grass. An hour later while curled up in Gene's arms she breathed her last and with a sigh passed out of our lives but not out of our hearts. Her cremated remains rest on our mantle in a lovely rose box as a gentle reminder of her presence and love.
We recently read the little commentary repeated below that sums it all up ...
What Dogs Do For Us
Get us outside on beautiful days
Warm up out beds on cold nights
Make our hearts more vigorous
Make us smile
Help us live a little longer
Treat us like celebreties when we come home
Teach us the meaning of unconditional love
We know that she is curled up on Gene's mother's lap in the great beyond and both are grinning from ear to ear. We will see them one day; but, till then we'll have to muddle through. She was just a little dog, but oh my goodness, what a blessing!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thanksgiving in San Antonio
We decided to spend Thanksgiving in San Antonio with our granddaughter, Courtney, and her husband, Keith, who was on standby for his job and couldn't leave town. Our daughter, Jean, and her significant other, Jim, and their two doxies piled into our RV on Wednesday and we, including our two dogs, headed out.
Wednesday proved to be a beautiful day and traffic was surprisingly light all of the way to the Famcamp at Fort Sam Houston. After setting up, we motored up to the Germany's apartment for a yummy supper ... she had prepared a delicious deer meat/beef cassarole with asparagus. We brought one of Marie Calandar's famous Banana Cream Pies for dessert.
On Thanksgiving we enjoyed some deep fried turkey -- cajon style -- with all of the trimmings, laid around and watched some TV and generally caught up on stuff. We did a drive-by on the Germany's new house... very, very nice. They settle in December and move in in February.
Friday found me at the BX and got a great buy on an I-Pad 2 ... has the camera ... Donna's Christmas present (couldn't wait). Jean, Courtney, Keith and I went to see the J Edgar Hoover movie ... really good! Should win some awards .... the aging process on the actors was unbelievable.
On Saturday Donna and I hung out at the RV while Jean and Courtney went shopping. We joined them later for take-out from Jason's Deli.
Sunday was a travel day back home ... a cold front had gone through on Saturday and the temps plummeted, plummeted I tell you, to the 50's! Again, we were pleasantly surprised by the lack of traffic on the highways.
All in all, it was a fun trip with no scary moments.
Wednesday proved to be a beautiful day and traffic was surprisingly light all of the way to the Famcamp at Fort Sam Houston. After setting up, we motored up to the Germany's apartment for a yummy supper ... she had prepared a delicious deer meat/beef cassarole with asparagus. We brought one of Marie Calandar's famous Banana Cream Pies for dessert.
On Thanksgiving we enjoyed some deep fried turkey -- cajon style -- with all of the trimmings, laid around and watched some TV and generally caught up on stuff. We did a drive-by on the Germany's new house... very, very nice. They settle in December and move in in February.
Friday found me at the BX and got a great buy on an I-Pad 2 ... has the camera ... Donna's Christmas present (couldn't wait). Jean, Courtney, Keith and I went to see the J Edgar Hoover movie ... really good! Should win some awards .... the aging process on the actors was unbelievable.
On Saturday Donna and I hung out at the RV while Jean and Courtney went shopping. We joined them later for take-out from Jason's Deli.
Sunday was a travel day back home ... a cold front had gone through on Saturday and the temps plummeted, plummeted I tell you, to the 50's! Again, we were pleasantly surprised by the lack of traffic on the highways.
All in all, it was a fun trip with no scary moments.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Leaving South Forty in Giddings
We leave the rally this Sunday morning right after Caring and Sharing at 0830. Have had a great time here with 14 rigs ... on Thursday evening folks settled in for a session of Joker (board with dice game) after a hot dogs with all of the trimmings. Friday morning DJ and I with two friends drove down to La Grange which is about 20 miles south of us. Another neat old town (1836) and hit Weikel's bakery --- to die for kolache's, cinnimon rolls and home made bread. We heard it was written up in Southern Living this month. That night we caravaned 20 miles to Winchester for a meal in an old Post Office turned restaurant that specialized in steak; more games to follow. After our business meeting on Saturday we headed back to the RV to catch up on college football and possibly nap a bit. That night found us at the dinner table again ... our hosts had deep fried cornish game hens and made a terrific dressing for our Thanksgiving feast .... the rest of the folks brought side dishes and desserts. I picked up a bear pillow in the gift exchange; but, sadly someone took it from me. Someone took my next selection (popcorn and Sinatra Christmas CD) and I ended up with a container of assorted candy. We wrapped up the night watching Baylor put the wood to Oklahoma.
Looks like we will be stopping at Camping World on the way home ... we lost a vent cover on the roof somewhere on the trip up here.
We are looking forward to our next trip ... leaving next Wednesday for San Antonio with Jean, Jim, Hansie and Maisie to spend Thanksgiving with Keith and Courtney. We will stay at the famcamp on Fort Sam Houston while Jean et al will stay with the Germanys.
More later!
Looks like we will be stopping at Camping World on the way home ... we lost a vent cover on the roof somewhere on the trip up here.
We are looking forward to our next trip ... leaving next Wednesday for San Antonio with Jean, Jim, Hansie and Maisie to spend Thanksgiving with Keith and Courtney. We will stay at the famcamp on Fort Sam Houston while Jean et al will stay with the Germanys.
More later!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Back on the Blog
We haven't done much on the blog lately ... been having technical problems with it ... mostly my fault; but, hopefully that is behind us. Apparently the *.gwt.xml module file (whatever that is) has a problem in that the compile time user agent value does not match the runtime user agent value. If this makes sense to you, please tell me what the heck it means.
Meanwhile .... we traveled to Boerne, Texas last month for a Kountry Lone Star South rally at the Alamo Fiesta RV Resort. Boerne is such a neat town ... lots of interesting shops to browse through and , of course, great restaurants to sample. Eleven rigs were in attendance ... two new couples, the Crumps and Hutchens, joined our chapter. Friday night we all hit the Hungry Horse Restaurant ... their liver and onions was very good! The hosts served up baked potatoes with all of the fixin's for Saturday night which was followed by a Halloween costume party. Gene won most original for his Father Balducci the Priest get up. The Newmar Kountry Klub International Directors, Jim and Wilma Weeks, attended the rally on their way to their winter digs in the Rio Grande Valley.
One of the highlights of our trip was lunch with our granddaughter, Courtney who now lives in nearby San Antonio. Sadly, her hubby, Keith was called out to work in the middle of the night and was snoozing away. Courtney left the Texans in Houston when he was transferred to San Antonio and now she works for a Methodist charities company.
Today finds us in Giddings, Texas at another Kountry Klub rally. On our way we stopped at the Prime Outlets in Cypress and hit the Coach and Nike shops. Two handbags, a wallet and pair of shoes later we hit the road. The savings were feenominal and Santa's job is DONE! The South Forty Campground is rather rustic, but nice. We are a day early and there are four rigs here with a plan for a total of thirteen at the rally which officially starts today. A cold front passed through and the temps went from the 80's yesterday to forties this morning.
More later!
Meanwhile .... we traveled to Boerne, Texas last month for a Kountry Lone Star South rally at the Alamo Fiesta RV Resort. Boerne is such a neat town ... lots of interesting shops to browse through and , of course, great restaurants to sample. Eleven rigs were in attendance ... two new couples, the Crumps and Hutchens, joined our chapter. Friday night we all hit the Hungry Horse Restaurant ... their liver and onions was very good! The hosts served up baked potatoes with all of the fixin's for Saturday night which was followed by a Halloween costume party. Gene won most original for his Father Balducci the Priest get up. The Newmar Kountry Klub International Directors, Jim and Wilma Weeks, attended the rally on their way to their winter digs in the Rio Grande Valley.
One of the highlights of our trip was lunch with our granddaughter, Courtney who now lives in nearby San Antonio. Sadly, her hubby, Keith was called out to work in the middle of the night and was snoozing away. Courtney left the Texans in Houston when he was transferred to San Antonio and now she works for a Methodist charities company.
Today finds us in Giddings, Texas at another Kountry Klub rally. On our way we stopped at the Prime Outlets in Cypress and hit the Coach and Nike shops. Two handbags, a wallet and pair of shoes later we hit the road. The savings were feenominal and Santa's job is DONE! The South Forty Campground is rather rustic, but nice. We are a day early and there are four rigs here with a plan for a total of thirteen at the rally which officially starts today. A cold front passed through and the temps went from the 80's yesterday to forties this morning.
More later!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Home Again
We got all caught up in the visit with family in Ventura and then the reunion and the three day drivefest back home. Thus, I have to play catchup with this blog.
We had a great time in Ventura! Dann and Jodi Plum were such great hosts ... freeloaded at their place ... and the visits with Roger, a brother-in-law, were special. I noted the high gas prices in California and was advised, by a native Californian at that, that it was "better" gas and that's why it was so high. Is that true? I had forgotten how cool it can get in Ventura and, of course, we didn't bring any sweaters or jackets. A trip to Target took care of that!. Deeds, AKA Micah, who is the Plum's grandson, was his usual adorable self. Lots of laughs and tales of family stuff ... all in all it was worth the three day drive.
There is a story going around that I had brushed my teeth with shampoo ... sadly, it is true. My beloved had filled a bottle of Crest Mouth Wash with shampoo for unknown reasons ... I ran out of toothpaste and thought (erroneously) a bottle containing Crest somethingorother would suffice until I could get some TP. The soapy taste didn't last too long; only a day or so. The good side is: now my teeth have lots of body and luster.
We motored down to Irvine via the 101 and 405 and found that Californians were sooo friendly. While screaming down the freeway at 55 mph, they waved, honked their horns and even flashed their lights in greeting. It was really something!
The 14th reunion of the Flying Jennies, 815 Troop Carrier Squadron, from Ashiya, Japan in the 50's was such a great success. There were 36 folks there ... squadron mates, their spouses and some kids and their spouses. We told all of the old stories ... maybe embellished a bit ... caught up on our families and their circumstances ... visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Knott's Berry Farm ... all in all, it was a really wonderful time. It looks like the next one will be in Colorado Springs in 2013.
We were able to get away early on Sunday so we retraced out trip via Tucson, Fort Stockton and home. Actually, we stayed in the same motels.
Our daughter, Jean, and her son Trip, took care of the dogs while we were gone. They did such a great job; we can't thank them enough.
We had a great time in Ventura! Dann and Jodi Plum were such great hosts ... freeloaded at their place ... and the visits with Roger, a brother-in-law, were special. I noted the high gas prices in California and was advised, by a native Californian at that, that it was "better" gas and that's why it was so high. Is that true? I had forgotten how cool it can get in Ventura and, of course, we didn't bring any sweaters or jackets. A trip to Target took care of that!. Deeds, AKA Micah, who is the Plum's grandson, was his usual adorable self. Lots of laughs and tales of family stuff ... all in all it was worth the three day drive.
There is a story going around that I had brushed my teeth with shampoo ... sadly, it is true. My beloved had filled a bottle of Crest Mouth Wash with shampoo for unknown reasons ... I ran out of toothpaste and thought (erroneously) a bottle containing Crest somethingorother would suffice until I could get some TP. The soapy taste didn't last too long; only a day or so. The good side is: now my teeth have lots of body and luster.
We motored down to Irvine via the 101 and 405 and found that Californians were sooo friendly. While screaming down the freeway at 55 mph, they waved, honked their horns and even flashed their lights in greeting. It was really something!
The 14th reunion of the Flying Jennies, 815 Troop Carrier Squadron, from Ashiya, Japan in the 50's was such a great success. There were 36 folks there ... squadron mates, their spouses and some kids and their spouses. We told all of the old stories ... maybe embellished a bit ... caught up on our families and their circumstances ... visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Knott's Berry Farm ... all in all, it was a really wonderful time. It looks like the next one will be in Colorado Springs in 2013.
We were able to get away early on Sunday so we retraced out trip via Tucson, Fort Stockton and home. Actually, we stayed in the same motels.
Our daughter, Jean, and her son Trip, took care of the dogs while we were gone. They did such a great job; we can't thank them enough.
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